i gotta know, why is this game not finished yet, its 2024. The hell happened?
I can partially answer this as someone who's been following this game for a long time.
Firstly, the game was completely redone from the ground up at one point whilst transporting it over to the version of RPGMaker that it's on currently and it was only some years ago where they reached a point that surpassed the original version of the game. This obviously halted process for a rather long time, and while not uncommon in game development, it's very tough when you have what is effectively very few people working on the game. (I think it's actually just one main game dev and then maybe a couple others helping but don't quote me) Regardless, it's a bit better on this front now as everything that comes out now is new content but it is slow going.
Secondly, the other game. Overgrown Genesis. Yeah, they made a whole other game during development for this one and finished it. It's a thing, like it or dislike it. I personally think the other game is decent, but eh. I think it speaks more on the fact that the development for this game is, and has been, poor if they can make and finish another game while still developing this one. Yes, this game does have a lot of content and is larger in scale, but it's also been in development far longer and it's dev cycle has been fairly lacking for a long time.
Next, the Patreon, but not necessarily in the way others think. Patreon members can influence what content is made/added next. Need I say why this is not a great idea? Most of the people playing this game would rather see new content that hits their strike zone than see the game finished quicker, hence you have a game that self prolongs itself by constantly giving certain people what they want rather than being naturally pushed to a finish by a set idea of a > b > c. I've always disliked this aspect personally, but I understand why it exists.
Finally, the art issue. They have a main artist they primarily work with, and a handful of other sub-artists they bring in every now and then. There's been a couple times, that I know of off-hand, where scenes are finished and they end up waiting until they have the art for it because their main artist is indisposed. This issue seems to have been resolved at this point, I think it's key to note that it was an issue at one point.
All-in-all, the game's development cycle is fraught with just a lot of struggling, some of it very needless and other parts significant growing pains. It updates about 3-4 times a year and sometimes only one of those updates is actually notable in content depth.
But, hey, at least it's still chugging along unlike a bunch of other games that just had the devs dip lol. I'm sure the game'll be great when it's completed in like 5-6 years!
Anyway, next on the agenda is Ranch content I believe, so something to look forward to for y'all Ranch enjoyers.
